Hannity on NSA: Obama 'hypocrisy'

Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday told POLITICO he sees “a lot of hypocrisy” from President Barack Obama as the administration’s controversies pile up — and the National Security Agency’s surveillance program is just the newest flap calling into question the president’s leadership.

Hannity said the disclosure that the NSA obtained records of Verizon network phone calls made by millions of Americans is one more action under this White House that should make people ask themselves whether they can trust Obama as president.

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“It’s a nuanced issue for me because the interesting thing is, Obama was against it in 2007. I was playing the tape today. He was against Gitmo, he was going to close it down within a year. He was against [enhanced interrogation techniques], but then he brags about kill lists,” Hannity told POLITICO at the Talkers New York 2013 conference.

It comes down to a “matter of trust” in the president, the Fox News host and conservative radio talker said. And with all the controversy currently facing this White House — from Benghazi to the IRS to the Department of Justice’s seizure of phone records from The Associated Press and tracking of the emails and movements of his colleague James Rosen — Hannity said there’s just too much up in the air about how Obama runs the country.

“I think for me, it’s a matter of trust,” Hannity said. “With all the scandals that are going on right now, do you really trust the guy who’s not telling the truth on Benghazi, on the IRS scandal, Eric Holder?”

And while “we need national security,” Hannity said he can’t see the president’s rationale on the NSA decision.

“We need national security, but I’m not sure where he’s really coming from,” Hannity told POLITICO. “Is it the Obama on the campaign trail, is it the Obama bashing Bush? Is it the Obama that brags about kill lists, that brags about getting bin Laden? You know, who is this guy?”